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10 Dec 2016 3:01:07am

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It is a pity the recent jargonistic use of "respect" was allowed to obscure the fact that there is only a bare overlap between old-fashioned manners/courtesy and the "respect" which rightly or wrongly makes someone feel good about themselves and/or gives a sometimes false favourable estimate of someone or their performance whether justified by the reality or not. Courtesy exhibited in good manners once had the function which is still relevant today of keeping the peace. Just maintaining an appropriate distance between people so real differences of many kinds won't break out and cause open conflict remains important. Some have said Americans' courtesy may have something to do that others may carry guns! It has historical validity. However,Good manners were largely a middle class attribute, not so much aristocratic or, setting subservience aside, of the "lower orders". Making people - who often these days have a sense of entitlement that would have seemed absurd 60 years ago - feel that they are thought to be good or clever or otherwise admirable when they are in fact not very bright, and lack diligence and self-knowledge is a completely different, barely overlapping, matter. Ritual rudeness, as in Parliament, usually at Question Time (since our Westminster style parliament is usually as boring as the US Congress pace the misinformed comparison someone phoned in) is fairly unimportant play acting except to the extent that it lowers respect for and therefore the authority of government in an unjustified way.

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